{"id":99876,"date":"2024-10-07T15:24:37","date_gmt":"2024-10-07T19:24:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=99876"},"modified":"2024-10-07T15:55:38","modified_gmt":"2024-10-07T19:55:38","slug":"kings-mike-brown-hints-fifth-starter-in-star-studded-lineup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/10\/07\/kings-mike-brown-hints-fifth-starter-in-star-studded-lineup\/","title":{"rendered":"Kings\u2019 Mike Brown Hints At Fifth Starter In Star-Studded Lineup"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Sacramento Kings will play their first preseason game on Oct. 11, facing a Golden State Warriors team that\u2019s trying hard to remain the league\u2019s golden goose. Though these exhibitions don\u2019t count towards a team\u2019s overall record, it\u2019s an ideal time to <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/10\/05\/kings-head-coach-compliments-players-savvy-dho-floor-action\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">test out new concepts<\/a> and evaluate players. After failing to reach the 2024 NBA Playoffs and making a move for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/derozde01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DeMar DeRozan<\/a>, the Kings will certainly be doing both.<\/p>\n<p>DeRozan isn\u2019t the only perimeter player in the starting lineup whose performance will be focused on though. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/murrake02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Keegan Murray<\/a>, the 2022 No. 4 pick, is looking to improve on a frankly subpar sophomore season. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/f\/foxde01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">De\u2019Aaron Fox<\/a>, one of the many stars to come out of Kentucky, needs to develop chemistry with DeRozan and refine his decision-making.<\/p>\n<p>Then there\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/e\/elliske01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Keon Ellis<\/a>, who has the chance to start the in the season opener, at least. If so, it\u2019ll be the first time in the young guard\u2019s career. A stupendous defender, Ellis\u2019s calling card has been his ability to put scorers on the ropes.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Keon Ellis is a MONSTER point of attack defender&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Sacramento had a top 10 defense post-allstar last season &amp; Ellis was a huge reason why. Master deflection\/poke-out artist. Full-court pressure bully. Hyper-aglie. Even knocked down a high clip of open 3s. Crucial piece for SAC. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ee6LdId7WK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/ee6LdId7WK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 NBA University (@NBA_University) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBA_University\/status\/1828086811161215314?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 26, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>With the addition of DeRozan and Fox\u2019s inconsistencies on that side of the floor, Ellis\u2019s defensive mastery is even more useful.<\/p>\n<h2>Kings\u2019 Mike Brown Hints At Fifth Starter In Star-Studded Lineup<\/h2>\n<p>As the Kings\u2019 prepare for the preseason, Ellis is assumed to be the starting shooting guard. Yet, Kings head coach Mike Brown isn\u2019t just handing him the title. In fact, he may have been prepared to enter the season starting Kevin Huerter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRight now, Keon has a shot, but that\u2019s mainly because Kevin is out and as time goes on, it will work itself out,\u201d Brown said. \u201cSo I\u2019m not necessarily concerned about it. Keon is there right now, but that, for sure, can change.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you think about it, Keon, out of all three of those guys, is probably the one who will command the least amount of shots and\/or the time the ball is in his hands,\u201d Brown told reporters at the start of training camp last.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Mike Brown was clear that Keon Ellis is the starter for now with Kevin Huerter injured, but the opening night starting shooting guard spot is still up for grabs. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/iDudBUSgFT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/iDudBUSgFT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 James Ham (@James_HamNBA) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/James_HamNBA\/status\/1841215564494057508?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 1, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>If that does change, it could be because Ellis hasn\u2019t been able to strike from deep.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s a career 42.2 percent three-point shooter on 2.5 attempts per game. In two seasons at Alabama, he converted 37.1 percent of his attempts (3.6 attempts per game) from the shorter three-point line. However, in 12 games with the Stockton Kings \u2014Sacramento\u2019s G League affiliate \u2014Ellis made just 35.7 percent of his threes, underscoring the possibility that he doesn\u2019t get off to a hot start.<\/p>\n<p>Then there\u2019s Huerter. The smooth-stroking Maryland product made 39.4 percent of his three-pointers in college. On top of that, in six seasons, he\u2019s never shot below 36.0 percent from three in the NBA. Honestly, a coach will probably be more confident in his ability to capitalize from beyond the arc than Ellis. Huerter is also a capable on-ball scorer, an area where Ellis hasn\u2019t stood out much.<\/p>\n<h3>Fit Versus Firepower<\/h3>\n<p>While a catch-and-threat is necessary for virtually any offense, it\u2019s not the be-all and end-all. Sharpshooters who can put the ball on the floor and create an advantage opportunity are even more valuable. So, why wouldn\u2019t the Kings start Huerter instead of Ellis?<\/p>\n<p>The answer is based in the belief that having the most firepower in one lineup doesn\u2019t make it a team\u2019s best. In other words, just because Huerter is a better offensive player, it <a href=\"https:\/\/kings-beat.beehiiv.com\/p\/keon-ellis-has-early-advantage-but-shooting-guard-battle-isn-t-over-yet?_bhlid=14777d504b8c980af6f710a4297971406c6dbf28&amp;utm_campaign=keon-ellis-has-early-advantage-but-shooting-guard-battle-isn-t-over-yet&amp;utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_source=kings-beat.beehiiv.com\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">doesn\u2019t mean he should be the starter<\/a>. Ironically, Ellis\u2019 ability to have a sizable impact without the ball could make him the better option post-DeRozan.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s shown the last two years that he\u2019s a capable catch-and-shoot shooter, and if you leave him open, he\u2019ll make you pay on the catch-and-shoot shot from the three-point line,\u201d Brown says of Ellis (h\/t The Kings Beat\u2019s James Ham). \u201cHe shot 40-something percent from three in both years, so for us that is a little bit of a factor, making sure we put the right combinations on the floor that fit instead of just trying to throw guys out there because we think those guys can all score the best.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Sacramento Kings will play their first preseason game on Oct. 11, facing a Golden State Warriors team that\u2019s trying hard to remain the league\u2019s golden goose. Though these exhibitions don\u2019t count towards a team\u2019s overall record, it\u2019s an ideal time to test out new concepts and evaluate players. After failing to reach the 2024 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":99890,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[29,1608,62,3],"tags":[350,4624,1600,3717,48967],"class_list":["post-99876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kings","category-basketball","category-nba","category-news","tag-demar-derozan","tag-keon-ellis","tag-kevin-huerter","tag-mike-brown","tag-nba-preseason"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99876\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}